Hungary wants to restore diplomatic relations with Armenia

YEREVAN, September 26. / ARKA /. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Hungary sent a diplomatic note to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia on 24 September, 2012. The diplomatic note expresses the interest of the Government of Hungary to end the unilateral suspension of diplomatic relations by the Republic of Armenia without preconditions, according to Hungarian government’s official website.

The diplomatic note is a formal answer to the communication in which Armenia informed Hungary about the suspension of the diplomatic relations August 31, 2012.

Armenia suspended diplomatic ties with Hungary after it had extradited an Azerbaijani army officer, Ramil Safarov, who was given a life sentence for hacking Armenian officer Gurgen Markarian to death with an axe on 19 February 2004 in Budapest during NATO training. In Azerbaijan Safarov was immediately pardoned by president Ilham Aliyev.

These actions erupted outrage in Yerevan. On 31 August Armenia’s President Serzh Sargsyan invited the heads of all diplomatic missions in Armenia to the extraordinary meeting and said Armenia suspends all diplomatic relations with Hungary. -0-